"Now you cannot touch anything," Regina's brown eyes were fierce as they pinned her to the spot, she grinned sheepishly and nodded as she took the offered hand of the brunette. She was beyond excited as she followed her down the stairs into her secret hideout, something Emma was extremely jealous of and had demanded one of her own upon hearing about it. Regina had, naturally, declined. The one thing she couldn't decline though, due to finding out exactly where her son got his trademark puppy dog eyes from, was showing Emma around the place and a few things in particular that she had discovered a few hours prior.
Emma had been left to her own devices in the house for an hour whilst Regina took their son and dropped him off at a sleepover, so as expected, within minutes of the pair waving goodbye, she was bored.
Her first thought was to simply lounge on the sofa and watch whatever trashy television programme was on that day, it used to be one of her favourite pass-times, now however all she could hear was Regina's voice in her head telling her what a waste of time and energy doing just that was. With a deep sigh she had turned the television off and made her way to Regina's study in order to search for a book to read, a book that didn't make her brain hurt…a book with pictures…
Obviously she gave up straight away on finding one in Regina's collection and so moved over to Henry's personal bookcase that she had noticed not long after she had moved in; he had a range of fiction and non-fiction ranging from all ages. Apparently Regina didn't like to throw out any of his stuff; it warmed Emma's heart seeing the reluctance at losing a part of her son's childhood. Former Evil Queen or not, she was an incredible mother.
Her eye instinctively fell to the storybook that had played such a huge part in all of their lives not so long ago, so many stories within it that Emma had denied and ignored but now that she knew the truth, and that was the whole truth from the people themselves, she was interested to find out how different the accounts told were.
Settling into the deep cushions of the sofa placed for the use of anyone looking for a comfy read, she flipped open the pages and was immediately faced with a picture of her girlfriend in all her former glory…and my, my that glory was hot.
How had she not noticed it before? How had she not noticed the clothes, or lack of, that Regina used to wear?! Gone was the thought of reading up on the people she knew, she was surprised she didn't receive a paper cut due to the speed at which she was turning the pages to reveal more and more of the brunette's former mouth-watering outfits.
"Wow…" Emma breathed as the images filled her mind and sent warmth down to the complete opposite area, "holy shit…"
"Is there a reason you're cursing Emma or is it just a knee-jerk reaction to general life now?"
"Fuck!" the sudden husky voice that brought her from the depth of her fantasies startled her causing her to clutch at her chest with her hand as though that would stop it from launching into a sudden heart attack. The book, in her surprise, had been knocked to the ground.
She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at the response she got, "that's what I thought" her eyes then fell to what Emma had been studying so intently now laying open on the floor, her heart practically stopped when she realized what it was. Immediately she began backing out of the room, unable to look at the woman for fear of what she would find there.
The blonde was up and immediately at her side, "hey," she rubbed her arms over the silk blouse covering Regina's arms, she couldn't help but notice the slight trembling even though the mansion was anything but cold, "I'm not even reading the thing,"
Regina's brow furrowed as she looked at the honesty In Emma's eyes, even without the woman's lie detecting skill she could tell the truth of the situation. Nodding slowly and drinking in the warm smile now being directed at her, she had to ask "well…why were you cursing at the thing?"
An immediate blush covered the blonde's cheeks and neck, which again did not go unnoticed by a confused Regina. She stopped Emma from dropping her gaze with a slender finger on her chin, "Em?"
She was worried by the blonde's reaction, until a shy smirk began spreading across her features at which point the brunette's eyes narrowed.
Finally Emma looked up and her smirk grew, as did her blush, "do you…uhm…did you…" she trailed off, too embarrassed to ask Regina outright but knowing the woman would force it out of her. "do you still have any of those outfits?"
The older woman was quiet for a minute as she just looked at her girlfriend, then over to the book which lay open at the story of how she recruited the Huntsman, the tight burgundy dress had been one of her favourite outfits to wear, her body had been a weapon of seduction and she had used it well. When she looked back to her girlfriend she couldn't help the predatory stare that came over her "Well, now that I think about it…"
And that is how Emma came to be sitting on one of the comfiest couches, apart from the one in their home, awaiting Regina's return from the walk-in-closet she had installed in here…of course she had.
The colour scheme was much like Regina's office only the decorations, from her castle in the Enchanted Forest Emma suspected, were much grander and more decadent, it was beautiful. Instantly upon arriving, her eyes had fallen to one of the dresses on display, it was magnificent. The high collar made of some sort of metal was encrusted with the most delicate of diamonds and it ran all the way down the front of the dress in a deep V. She recognised this one from one of the stories and upon the look on Regina's face, she knew which one. It had been the dress the Evil Queen had worn to the King's funeral, her grandfather's although she didn't see him as this. To Emma he was simply some character from her mother's distant past, there was no reason for Regina to feel guilty for ridding herself of the man who had caused her so much pain, yet she did.
As soon as she had placated Regina and urged her to see that Emma was not going anywhere, a common fear that the brunette held, they were able to move on. Her mouth had watered instantly upon seeing another outfit on display, one that Regina was busy putting on right now.
She had become entranced by the decorative tree that filled one side of the room; it was beautiful, strong but delicate looking, sinister but stunning, when she heard a throat clearing from behind her. Her breath was stolen as she turned to find an absolute vision standing before her "oh my…" her throat had dried up whilst her mouth had flooded with saliva.
"See something you like dear," Regina drawled, stepping closer to the blonde but staying far enough away so that she could see the full extent of the outfit. She watched as green eyes began raking their way up her body, green eyes starting at her feet first.
Gold studded, knee high black heeled boots hugged toned calves as they rose to reveal tight leather trousers that showed her figure off deliciously, a fitted black lace jacket pulled in a tiny waist, the first button stopping just below a bust held up tantalisingly by an intricately designed black corset. A bulky pendant fell just above the swell of her breasts, hanging around the neck that Emma loved so much, the whole thing topped off with a floor sweeping, red feathered cape. Regina hadn't just put the outfit on; she had given Emma the full experience. Red lips were curled into a dangerous smirk as deep brown eyes were framed with incredibly long, black lashes. Much of her forehead was covered by a lacy, extremely detailed head piece, her dark locks scraped back tight into a ponytail, the length of which fell to her waist and begged to be pulled…and that was just the first outfit.
Emma should have realized, after becoming increasingly aroused by painted images of the Evil Queen, just how much seeing it in person would affect her. Regina had grown bolder with each outfit but still wouldn't let the blonde make contact, not matter how much she pouted or how far she reached out. This was a delicious game to her.
The next dress had Emma practically on her knees; this had been Regina's favourite of all and Emma's too if her reaction is anything to go by. She couldn't take her eyes away from the obvious added extra that came with the dress and it most definitely wasn't the elaborate necklace that matched the design of the low neckline that covered only the minimal amount of her chest but pushed them up and together to create a mouth-watering view for Emma.
The dress itself was a deep red mixed with black and featured high, sharply pointed shoulders, a familiar design in the majority of her outfits. It hugged her entire upper half whilst the skirt of the dress fanned out around her magnificently, concealing the toned legs that the blonde had become so used to. How anyone got anything done back in those times was beyond her and this time she revelled in the fact that Regina came close enough for her to place her hands on the slim waist and pulled her even closer.
She could feel the ripple of the brunette's abdomen muscles as she stroked her fingers across the fabric, it was softer than she had thought but she couldn't take her eyes from the brown looking down upon her, the previous façade of the Evil Queen gone now, the woman looked vulnerable even through Emma's lust filled gaze. "What's wrong baby?" she moved her hands from the slim waist to interlace with Regina's fingers, the huge sleeves tickling her skin slightly.
"I think…I have one more dress I would like to show you…" her voice was soft and small, this was clearly something she had never shown to anyone before and Emma couldn't help her heart from swelling in her chest as she tilted her head up in indication, the brunette quickly caught on and bowed her head to meet Emma's lips in a soft kiss.
"I'd love to see it" she placed one more chaste kiss on full red lips before Regina's thumb moved up to wipe away the smudged lipstick left on her lips, she placed a soft kiss to the appendage, revelling in the brunette's soft smile before she backed away and disappeared back into her closet.
She held her breath as she heard the woman moving behind the wooden doors, there hadn't been a sound as she had put on any of the other outfits and Emma guessed that she most likely used magic to do so. This one, however, she was putting on by hand, it was clearly special to the woman and the blonde couldn't help but feel honoured in this moment.
She couldn't help but gasp softly as the brunette finally emerged, she was stunning…beautiful…even those words didn't do her any justice. Her hair had been let loose from one of the many complicated up-dos she had favoured as the Evil Queen; instead it fell in dark waves over her shoulders and down to her waist. She wore hardly any make-up now, appearing fresh faced, youthful and softer than Emma had ever seen her.
The dress she wore was clearly intended for much more than a ball, it was pure white and fitted around her upper half, although the neckline was low, it revealed only the soft swell of her breasts, much more innocent than any of the dresses she had seen her wearing. The skirt wasn't sculptured; white chiffon fell in layers around her legs and to the floor, a delicate silver bow fell to the right of her slender waist and trailed the length of the skirt. Each layer of material was stitched with lace at the end and only added to the beauty of the dress.
Her steps were hesitant as she tried to gage the blonde's reaction but the woman gave nothing away. When Regina stopped moving towards her completely, unsure of herself, Emma rose from her seat slowly, her eyes never leaving Regina's as she moved forward to stand directly before her.
Instantly her head fell and her hands bunched within the material, "my father gave me this dress when I told him of my engagement to Daniel," she wasn't sure she should be speaking, this could only be hurting her chances of Emma remaining with her but she had never shown this dress to anyone and had already taken the leap. "I loved it instantly and was so excited to wear it…" the blonde knew the story of Regina and her stable boy; it had been something that they had discussed earlier on in their relationship and she had seen the extent at which it had broken Regina, she had vowed never to let the woman feel that way again. "I haven't had the strength to look at it until…well, until now Emma" finally she looked back up.
Emma had been smiling softly all the while, wanting to make the brunette look at her but knowing she had to allow her time to work through what she was feeling, it was how they worked together. Her smile widened as she lifted a hand to wipe a tear from Regina's cheek but left her hand to linger there, revelling in the feeling of the brunette leaning into it. "I feel so privileged that you would share something so…so special to you Regina," the fingers of her other hand interlaced with Regina's fingers as she brought them up to place a kiss on the back of her knuckles, "I can't replace the love you lost and I will never try but I will never feel for anyone what I feel for you," her throat tightened slightly with the emotions running through her but she continued on, "I have felt so lost for so long and I thought I would never find my way back again…but then I found you, I found you and I found myself because you are the part of me that has always been missing and I hope to spend the rest of my life making you feel that way too."
Regina hadn't taken a breath since the blonde had started talking, she couldn't have even if she wanted to. Her chest had tightened with the weight of Emma's words, "how did I get so lucky?" she managed in a whisper as her lover only moved forward to place a tender kiss to her lips.
"It is I who is the lucky one," the blonde replied, her forehead coming to rest on Regina's, "I love you so much Regina Mills." Her eyes closing as she just allowed herself to fall into the moment.
Regina closed her eyes as well, "I love you too Emma Swan…I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you" and as Emma's finger came to stroke across the ring sitting on the third finger of her left hand, she was able to breathe again for this was real and this was finally happening, this was her happy ending.